In the operation of computers, it may be necessary to perform a trace of a computer application when issues arise in operation, such as when the application is not performing correctly or excessive memory is being consumed.
In an example, a trace may be required in a large, complex computer landscape that includes numerous different systems and different types of systems. However, such large systems are commonly productive systems that cannot be easily isolated or shut down. In such a complex environment, it may be expected there may be many different operations required by multiple users, including potentially multiple traces. Because of the distribution of data and resources, the various operations will likely share the same data while they overlap in time.
While it may be expected that overlapping operations will affect each other in that each operation may modify the common data, this is problematic for trace operations. If the traces interfere with each other, then the traces will not provide useful results. In certain circumstances, it could be necessary to limit traces to avoid interference.